New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-04
THE THEATRES.
NEW PLAYS TO BE BROUGHT OUT HERE
WHAT THE MANAGERS ARE DOING.

This is the last week that New Workers. will have
chance 10 see Mr.. Mansfield la his pleasant little
sketch Monsieur which has had success far
greater than its author hoped TOR. During a summer
OF almost unbearabe weather 1t has attracted enough
| people week In and week out to rel urn handsome
profit to Mr.. Mansfeld pitc the fact that he has
naturally had to pay large sum for the of the
theatre When "-Monsieur" has retired from the
sight of metropolitan audiences he will be added to
Mr.. Mansfeld's travelling repeTtory aud form the
| chief matinee piece OF his coming tour. Meanwhile
| work ON Dr. Jekyll and Mr: Hyde Is constant and
week from tomorrow II will be placed for the hrst
/ time before New-York public. The sale OF seats
opens tomorrow, but already many applications Tor
first night places have been received at the theatre,
and it Is alto gether probable that by the middle Of the
week the house will be entirely sold out
| Joseph Brooks, the manager of " The Arabian
Nights shortly be at the Standard Theatre.
| and David Henderson, the manager OF the Chicago
theatre where tine piece has been successfully rum
ming all summer, both in town last week They
here to make final arrangements Tor the pro-
ducton of the piece, and seem satisfied that 1t Will
prove as popular here In Chicago. Mr.. Henderson
| said the other day The entertainment Is novel
one in FORM ana here think lies the secret OF its
success 1t is u combination OF buresque and speca-
| Gle which appeals to TWO large classes OF amusement
| seekers l look Cd its Chicago something
quite out Of tie ordinary, tor not only did It remain
| on the boards longer than anything that mas ever
been produced there, bat 1t flied the house every
| night daring probably tho worst theatrical season
| Chicago has known tor years. The combination OF
/
grumoing to all the other managers IN tho
city and caused some of them to CLOSE their houses
| These causes seemed to affect Us not one whit One
| Of tho strongest points OF the production In my
opinion Ia Its scenery The steaSn vapor curtain,
for instance attracted Great deal OF attention. lhis
| is an ingenious device tor doing away with that
| nuisance of nuisances the pout' or 'carpenters'
scene. In 'Tbe Arabian Nights IL Is introduced In
the fist act trap extending clear across the stage
1 Is opened and dense volume OF steam arises ana
effectuay masks the whole OF the back OF the stage
| Colored lights thrown this ses In curtain, and
the carpenters behind are as busy as they can DO.
Suddenly O gong Ia struck. The steam Is suddenly
shut OF and In instant condenses ana s gone eav
Ing in full view OF the audience the gorgeous and
brightly lit transformation scene behind. l can
assure you tie effect Is al most bewIlderng even II
one has seen 1t a score OF times"
Few of Colonel McCaulls' operatic successes and
they have been few. hare approached in complete
ness his recent production of Bellman." Without
an exception last week every night saw the theatre
filed to the doors. One night friend happened to
be engaged In Watching Colonel McCaurs right hand
man. b. d. Stevens performing the operation, In which
he is adept, of counting up the house. The re-
turns OF the orchestra portion showed that not only
every seat occupied but every seat was paid ior
| an unusual thing 10 New.York theatre, for one or
| two compllmentaries" can always DO reckoned on
during the most successful OF runs Tomorrow night
there viii be a change In the cast. Nine CottrelIy
will mako welcome appearance In the part so Tar
played By Mrs. Laura Joyee-Bell. and new singer,
| Otto Meyer, will be seen In place OF Mr. DUNCAN.
| Mrs. Bell and DUNCAN 60 to Chicago to JOIN the
| Indiana" company, which opens there to-morro"
| night
| John Lavine, the man ager Of the popular Summer
| night Concerts st the Madison Square Garden, has
arranged series of attractive "specal" nights Tor
this week. Tonight the usual Sunday night Sacred
Concert will be given Tomorrow being Labor Day
a special SCALA" programme will be gwen In the
evening. Tuesday will see the programme given up
| chiefly to dance music. Wednesday will be the
| French night, Thursday the Wagner night, Friday
| the Request" and Saturday the National Guard
night whom Gil the music Will be OF military char-
acter
Tho company which Is TO play in The Arabian
| Nights will start for this city this morning by
| special train from Chicago. The company numbers
100 persons among whom are Frank Watt an English
comedian, who has come over especially to play In ~.
Miss Loie Fuller Miss Lille Alliston Mss Geean n'
land and T. J. Connolly. William Gill y the stage
manager and the princiI al dancers are Miles porsi,
| Vivian and Brambilla and Mons. Crest. Mile. Dorst
| and Mons Orest are eccentric dancers. Tho others
| are ordinary ballet dancers
The attractions of real horses aud real FIRE engine
have proved potent enough TO attract large audi
ences 10 tho Fourteenth Street Theatre to witness the
new melodrsma, the HStll Alarm" In talking
about his play other day Joseph Arthur said that
lie laid no claim 10 literary merit or TO much orlgi-
naty If plot he had merely tried to construct play
which would attract the public and make money Tor
himself and those connected with 10 while at the same
| time il should be clean and WI Olesoms Mr. Arthur
was assisted to some extent while wiring MS play by
a. G. Wheeler. wel-known Journalist, VINO, now
tbe vork' aTbe Stiii Alarm will no seen at the
Fourteenth Street Theatre during this week and VIII
then start on its travels through the country
Many changes said by the managers to have
been made in Mr. Gunters play OF " One Against
Many" since the Grst night ami they claim that the
piece Is now attracting audiences large enough to be
| remuucratiye to all concerned. Nothing definite has
been done toward replacing 10 with another atlrac-
i,on and it will probably run ~ appointed tenure 81
| the house at which IL was produced The author, A.
! G. Gunter remarkei the other dag that he wac
entirely satisfied with tue reception OF tue PLAY by his
critics for he thought that he had received better treat
meat than usual, though this he added patheti-
cally, may no, be saying very much''
Another young Kentucky gir ia announced as being
about TO make her first appearance in this city as
star sore time in December. llec name Is Mary
| Stcrlns and she comes from Louisville.
| w r. Gillette has been struck with happy idea
regards his local habitation. Acting he docs in his
own piece Held by the Enemy now running at the
star Theatre he finds impossible to live outsiee the
| G " limits and get home after the performances lie
| has accordingly taken rooms the Battery and
declares that all inteuts anc purposes he might as
well be at Long Branch, be gets the beneht OF
continual sea breeze what Is still mole Important
to him. he Is reach the scores OF applicants
fer position5 ir the second any which he Is or
ganizlng TO play Held by the Enemy ana Tor the
| COMPANY with which he will produce his adaptation
OF She" later on at Nblos. lie thus finds time 10
| evoe himself to finishing this latter piece and
hopes have it ready Tor the scene pointers aid
| the
viii take IL I'm hand az soon as he from pro-
ducing " Clto , IN San Francisco. The New-iork
nub,c IL III civ TO be suricited with Rider Haggard
before the season is over Tor In addition to MIR. On
letes and Mr Mackay's versions, the latter OF hich
will be seen at the AGA emy OF Music, We are promised
still another. K. G. " hite who produced the orie
nal adaptation the Tivo in san Francisco. arrived
in THE city last week accompanied ny D. r. hiulDacn'
who nainted the scenery Tor the San Francisco pro-
| duotion They are negotiating Tor Sew-fork the
are and they have secured 1t they VIII give
| The piece with its original music and scenery
| Az was announced last week Mr. Abbey has now
| decided TO open his season at Wailacks with new
and original comedy drama by Sydney Grundy which
| has Just been ,med Tho Mouse Trap" 1t Is q
COMEDY Of English society and the scenes are laid in
ENGLAND Not only will Mrs. Abbey, better known TO
the public, perhaps as Miss Florence Gerard. have an